Why did Thomas Tuchel say England were lucky against Norway?

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Thomas Tuchel Cited Luck Due to England's Performance and Refereeing Decisions in World Cup Victory

England manager Thomas Tuchel stated that his team was fortunate to narrowly defeat Norway 2-1 after extra time to advance to the World Cup semi-finals. Tuchel attributed this luck to England's own performance, which he described as sloppy, too safe, and lacking sufficient pace, making their task considerably more difficult. Furthermore, he highlighted two key refereeing decisions that favoured England, suggesting they were fortunate not to have these calls go against them.
Performance Issues Led to a Difficult Match

Tuchel expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance, despite the crucial victory that secured a place in the last four of the World Cup for the fourth time in the nation's history. He observed that the commitment of the players was evident, but their style of play was counterproductive. The manager characterised their approach as being "sloppy, lots of safety, not fast enough, not enough," which he felt unnecessarily complicated the match and contributed to the need for luck to secure the win.
Crucial Refereeing Decisions Favoured England

The manager pointed to two significant refereeing interventions that he believed England benefited from. The first instance involved Jude Bellingham's initial goal, which was permitted to stand despite Norwegian objections concerning a potential interference from a TV camera suspended above the pitch during the build-up. Subsequently, Norway had a second goal disallowed following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, which identified a foul committed by Erling Haaland prior to a corner kick being taken.
Luck as a Necessary Component in Tournament Football

Tuchel articulated his belief that an element of luck is indispensable for teams aiming to progress deep into tournament football. He asserted that without favourable moments, achieving success at this level is improbable. His candid admission of luck being a factor underscores his view that such occurrences are a natural and necessary part of high-stakes competition, and he saw no detriment in acknowledging it.
Praise for Jude Bellingham's Impact

Despite his reservations about the team's overall performance, Tuchel reserved significant praise for Jude Bellingham, whose two goals were instrumental in overturning Norway's early lead and securing England's victory. Tuchel described Bellingham's performance as "world-class from a world-class player," emphasizing his crucial contributions in pivotal moments of the match. This marks Bellingham's sixth goal of the tournament, placing him alongside Harry Kane.

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Why did Thomas Tuchel say England were lucky against Norway?

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